In Her Dreams
by banana.x.phone
Summary: Penny is picked up by the TARDIS, and joins the Doctor on a mission to save an alien planet from destruction. Penny and Sheldon as the Doctor.
1. Chapter 1

**I trust that everyone had a fantastic holiday :) I had this rattling about in my head. Just a quick story. I apologize in advance to those who don't watch Doctor Who, but you really really should. Hopefully, it's a story that everyone can follow. **

**Enjoy!  
**

It was Friday and Penny had a date. Again. It was the fifth one she had been on in a month. It had been almost two months since her and Leonard had broken up. She let out a heavy sigh and pressed her glossed lips together. It wasn't like she could make up some lame excuse and sit on her couch instead. This blind date had been set up by her good friend and neighbor, Amy Farrah Fowler.

Amy had described Penny's date as tall, dark and handsome, but Penny knew that likely meant that he was a few inches taller than her, ginger, and average looking. Penny resisted the urge to feel bad for herself as she finished the glass of wine that waited for her on the coffee table and grabbed her leather coat from the back of the couch. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

She stepped out of her apartment and quickly jammed her key into the lock to secure the deadbolt behind her. She quickly stuffed her keys into her pocket and turned around to take the stairs, but her path was blocked by a huge blue box. Penny took a step back and examined the oddly placed wooden "police box". She frowned as she read what she assumed to be the front of the wooden box.

At the top it read: "Police Public Call Box". Her eyes ran along the grain of the wood and the brightly lit windows. Another sign decorated one of the doors. This one was a little bit worn and looked quite old. It read: "Police Telephone. Free For Use Of Public. Advice & Assistance Obtainable Immediately. Officer & Cars Respond To All Calls. Pull To Open." Penny slowly reached out to touch the wood. Her heart raced under her ribcage and her breathing quickened. Her fingertips gingerly rested on the cool blue wood, she gently traced them along what used to be a knot in a tree.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a man popped his head out of the box. Penny gasped and stumbled back, she felt like she had a miniature heart attack. The man looked about the hallway and as he fixed his bright blue eyes on her, he grinned. Penny clutched at her chest, silently urging it to return to a normal rhythm.

"Hello." The man said. He stepped out of the box and stood before her. Penny looked him over before responding. He was tall, at least six feet, his dark brown hair was cropped short, and his features reminded her of a curious bird or the shiny robot in Star Wars. Penny couldn't help but grin at her clever analogy. He wore a red t-shirt that had the word "Kablaam" on it, underneath a dark grey sport coat.

"Hi." Penny replied with a slight nod. The man placed his hands behind his back and took a few casual steps toward her. Penny watched him as he looked about the hallway.

"I hate to be a bother, but I seemed to have gotten a little bit lost. Can you tell me where I am?" The man nonchalantly asked.

"You don't know where you are?" Penny questioned with a slight raise of her eyebrows. The man softly smiled at her.

"Humor me." He replied. Penny couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as she took a step toward him.

"Ok. You're in Pasadena, California." Penny sardonically responded.

"And the year?" He continued. Penny outright laughed. She couldn't help but think that this guy had to be on something, but she decided to play along.

"2013." She quickly obliged his request.

"Thank you." He said. The man glanced at his wrist watch and took two long strides towards his blue box.

"Wait!" Penny called out after him. He spun around with a hand firmly planted on the door, and looked at her expectantly.

"Who are you?" Penny asked. The man smiled and pushed the door open, despite the sign saying "Pull To Open".

"I'm the Doctor." He replied and walked into the box. Penny watched him disappear and felt her heart sink. Deciding that she had a few moments to spare, she walked up to the box and lightly knocked on the door. The man was quick to open it.

"Yes?" He asked. Penny studied his face for a moment as she thought about what she was going to say.

"Do you need help taking your box downstairs? I'm not even really sure how you got it up here in the first place." Penny said, trying to stall on leaving for her date. The man thought about her proposal for a moment before offering her a quick smile.

"Sure." He simply said as he walked back into the box. He left the door open and Penny cautiously followed. He quickly ran into a gigantic room, which left Penny speechless. She looked around in wonder and awe.

"It's bigger on the inside." She softly whispered to herself. Her brain went into overdrive trying to conceive how this was even at all possible. As her eyes fluttered about the room, she caught him smiling at her. He snapped his fingers together and the door closed behind her.

Penny slowly walked up the ramp to the console that sat in the middle of the huge room. Her fingers lightly ran along the dashboard, she watched as small lights blinked random colors at her. She firmly held onto a lever and the Doctor grasped her hand to stop her from exploring further. He gently leaned against the console and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"What kind of Doctor did you say you were again?" Penny asked with a smirk. The Doctor returned her smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose I'm kind of a Doctor of everything." He playfully replied. Penny followed him as he began flipping levers and pushing buttons. Penny let out a small laugh as she watched the tubes in the center of the console begin to move up and down.

"Alright, well, my name is Penny. And you're Doctor... Who?" She asked, trying to gain clarification on his name.

"Well Penny, it's wonderful to meet you, but it's just The Doctor." He replied. Penny narrowed her eyes at him as he glanced at his computer.

"Fine, Just The Doctor of Everything, what the hell is a Police Box?" She asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. He looked up from his computer and furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"The Police Box is a disguise. This is my TARDIS and believe it or not, it has the ability to travel through space and time." He told her. Penny looked at him with disbelief.

"TARDIS?" Penny said.

"Yes." The Doctor replied.

"And it travels through time and space?" Penny teased.

"Yes." He factually replied.

"Prove it." She challenged. The Doctor grinned at her and ran over to a dial on the console.

"Where and when do you want to go?" He cheekily asked. Penny grinned.

"Surprise me." She said. Her heart began to race with excitement. This was more thrilling than any date she had been on in a very long time. The doctor turned some knobs and the box came to life. It began making some kind of whirring noise like someone had left the parking brake on or something. She held on tightly as the TARDIS jerked them both about the room. It reminded her of being in junior rodeo, she was sure she could hold on for dear life.

The TARDIS came to an abrupt halt and Penny brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. The Doctor moved toward the doors and Penny was sure that when they left his blue box they would still be standing in front of her apartment and she could get on with the blind date that she didn't really want to go on. Penny joined him at the doors and took in a deep breath as he offered her the crook of his elbow. The pair pulled the doors open and Penny's jaw dropped. They were most definitely not in front of her apartment and she was totally not going on that date.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright! Well, I have to say I have many more views than I had expected. Hopefully I get a few more for Chapter 2. Thank you for the reviews, they are greatly appreciated. Let's continue our journey, shall we?**

**Enjoy!**

Penny stood in front of the TARDIS doors and marveled at the sight before her. They were surrounded by space, the stars shone so much brighter and wilder from this altitude. They were like small diamonds spread across a sky of deep black, blue, and purple velvet. She could practically reach out and hold one in her palm.

Her eyes widened, she clutched her hand to her heart, trying to steady the rapid beat it had fallen into and she quietly gasped when Jupiter came into view. She couldn't believe that she was drifting along in space with a man that she had just met not only an hour ago.

"Holy crap on a cracker. I'm in space." She whispered to herself. She looked up at the Doctor who was smiling at her, watching her astonishment. She blushed and looked out into the vastness of the universe. She was still in a state of shock.

"How is this possible?" She softly asked. Her eyes caught his the blueness of them bore into her soul. She could see the glint of excitement behind them. He looked like he was a kid in a candy store.

"How is it possible that we are orbiting around the sixth planet in your planet's solar system?" He asked. Penny quickly cut him off.

"You mean the fifth planet?" She confirmed after counting the acronym she learned in grade school on her fingertips. The Doctor grinned at her.

"Humans, you are so cute, barely got your feet on the ground and you think you know everything. No, I meant the sixth planet. The fifth planet was destroyed by the Time Lords and Humans misconstrued it as an asteroid belt upon discovery, which I can assure you it is not." He explained. Penny pursed her lips together in defeat.

"What do you mean Humans? Aren't you Human? Isn't this your solar system too?" She quickly asked in confusion. The Doctor offered her a quick laugh and shook his head.

"Penny, Penny, Penny." He started. Again she interrupted.

"What, what, what?" She parroted. The Doctor raised his eyebrows up at her.

"I am not a Human. I have two hearts, which makes me a Time Lord, which brings me back to what I was going to say, that is how it's possible that we can travel through space and time and orbit around your solar system's sixth planet." He rattled off. Penny stared at him catching up with his words.

"So you're an alien?" She quickly asked.

"Well, from my perspective, you're the alien." The Doctor sheepishly replied. Her eyes suddenly grew wide.

"You blew up a planet?!" She yelled, throwing her arms into the air.

"No! The Time Lords did, I blew up the Time Lords." He stated in a cool tone. Penny furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the "asteroid belt" that was once a planet.

"It's funny, I'm actually afraid of heights and at any moment I could fall out of this thing, but I feel totally safe in a wooden box floating in space. What are you scared of Doctor?" Penny asked, she had an urge to get to know him a bit better.

"I'm not scared and we're actually not "floating"." He said with exaggerated air quotations.

"We're orbiting." He corrected as he gripped her hand into his. The two stood quietly for a moment before the Doctor stole his hand from hers and was pointing at something that came into view. Penny tried to hold onto the sensation of his warm flesh against hers, but it was gone within seconds.

"There's Jupiter's space station! When I was younger, I went there to help the Humans in a war against alien forces. Oh the 22nd century, what fun we had!" He finished wistfully. Penny watched the space station, which looked like a broken piece of space junk float by. It looked like it hadn't been occupied for hundreds of years. The lights were out and no one was home.

"So if this is the 22nd century, where are all of the people?" Penny asked. The Doctor stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, let out a heavy sigh, and leaned against the door jam. Penny couldn't deny how good looking this man was and felt herself blush.

"There are none, they've all left. It's now the 30th century and we're going to be late." He said as he pulled his hand out of his pocket and glanced at his wrist watch. After closing the door behind him, he quickly walked back inside the TARDIS toward the control panel. Penny took one last look at Jupiter and the infiniteness of space and closed the wooden door behind her.

"Late for what?" She asked. The Doctor pulled a switch on the control panel and quickly darted to the other side to type something into the computer. Penny watched as he quickly worked.

"This was just a pit stop, merely a point to be proved. We are heading to Felspoon. It's said that the mountains sway in the breeze." He giddily explained as he hit a few buttons causing the TARDIS to spin off into space. Penny held on tightly, she now had experience in this thing. She looked over at the Doctor and smiled at him.

The thrashing stopped after a few moments and all was silent except for the quiet hum of the TARDIS. The Doctor smoothed out his sport jacket and walked down the ramp, toward the doors. Penny watched as he disappeared through them. She looked around the Doctor's spaceship one last time before catching up to the Doctor.

The sight before her was amazing. Every color was crisp and bright, the grass beneath her feet was the deepest green she had ever seen and the mountain's tops were covered in bright white snow. Penny looked around this new world and she noticed that they seemed to be just outside of some sort of city. There were small dome shaped buildings made of steel all over the place. In the center of the city, the domes got bigger, resembling a downtown or skyline. Penny looked up into the sky and two suns beat down on her.

"Ah, here we are, Pasadena, California." The Doctor said as he raised himself up briefly onto his toes. Penny opened her mouth to speak and quickly closed it. She looked around again, there was no way this was Pasadena.

"I thought you said we were going to Felspoon." Penny whined. The Doctor smirked at her.

"Bazinga!" He exclaimed. Penny looked at him as confusion riddled her expression.

"Bazinga?" She mockingly asked with her arms folded across her chest.

"Yes, Bazinga, I was playing a trick on you. This _is _Felspoon. Not Pasadena, California. Boy, you are gullible, aren't you?" He trailed off as he began walking toward the domes. He quickly turned around when he realized she wasn't following him.

"C'mon." He coaxed her as he stuck out his hand for her to grasp and cocked his head to the side. Penny rolled her eyes at him and huffed as she gave into his wiggling fingers. How could she say no to a little adventure? Sure the Doctor was a little bit rude and condescending, but he was also kind of cute in a way that Penny had never expected him to be. She quickly caught up to him, grasped his hand and the two of them walked toward the domes together.


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, I'm glad to see you are enjoying this story so far! I will only be able to post today, but I'll be back with more Doctor/Penny goodness next week. As always, Enjoy!**

As the pair walked through the overgrown, unkempt grass of Felspoon, Penny couldn't help but admire all of the new found beauty around her. They walked in between the buildings toward the city's center. The sun's rays heavily reflected off of the metal buildings and Penny had to shield her eyes from the brightness. The air was warm, but crisp at the same time. It was like coming out of a pool to dry in the sun. She closed her eyes for a moment and let the soft breeze float across her skin.

The tall green grass soon turned into smoothly paved walkways as they approached the taller buildings. The Doctor abruptly stopped in his tracks and Penny watched him as he got down on one knee to inspect something on the ground. To her it looked like molten gold, with specs of tiny diamonds in it, it seemed to brilliantly sparkle in the sun. It was absolutely beautiful. The Doctor quickly took out a wand like object from his inside jacket pocket and pressed a button, lighting up the object and scanning the molten gold on the ground and looking at the reading the wand gave him.

"Fascinating." The Doctor simply stated as he put the wand back into his pocket. Penny raised her eyebrows as she waited for him to continue. He didn't.

"What's fascinating?" Penny impatiently asked, urging him to finish his thought. He casually dipped his fingertip into the liquid on the ground and proceeded to lick it off. He quickly stood up, after thinking about what he was tasting, and took a bottle of hand sanitizer out of his pocket, squirted a small amount into his hands and rubbed it into his palms. He turned to Penny with a look of concern coloring his face.

"Well, for a planet that is so small and densely populated, doesn't it seem fairly odd that we have yet to see a single Felsponian on our journey thus far?" He asked as he placed the bottle of hand sanitizer back into his pocket. Penny looked around. He was right, there was no sign of life anywhere, besides the seemingly empty buildings.

"Maybe they've all gone?" Penny offered as she lightly touched his bicep. She watched him as he cautiously looked around the vicinity. His bicep flexed under her fingers and she quickly took them away, bringing them to her side. He turned his intense gaze back to hers, his bright blue eyes darted across her soft features.

"It would appear that way wouldn't it?" He said. Penny looked back at the gold on the ground.

"What is that anyway?" She curiously asked nodding toward the liquid. The Doctor clasped his hands behind his back and looked down at the pool on the ground.

"Felsponian energy. Which leads me to believe that they are here. Somewhere. We just need to find them." He explained. Penny knelt down and reached her hand toward to gold.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you." He quickly interjected, stopping her. Penny stood up and folded her arms across her chest.

"You _licked_ it." Penny retorted with a wrinkled nose.

"Yes, but I don't have enough hand sanitizer for the both of us." He said as he began walking toward the biggest dome. Penny rolled her eyes and followed him into the city center. As they walked, questions filled her mind and she silently cursed her overactive curiosity.

"So, how big is this planet?" She slowly began.

"To put it into geographical terms that you will understand, it's roughly the size of California. It orbits around two suns which allow it to be in a state of perpetual sunshine. The suns are a source where the Felsponian get their energy from. Funny little people, the Felsponian, they're kind of like anthropomorphized flowers. They get everything they need from their suns, but need to be on a strict schedule of light and dark. Since it's never dark, they sleep underground." The Doctor rambled. Penny only nodded her head. It was hard to keep up with how quickly he spoke when he got on a tangent.

They reached the tallest metal dome in the center of the city, it had to have been over 500 feet tall, and the doors had to have been at least 14 feet tall. Unfortunately, the tall metal doors to the tall metal building were locked. Fortunately, the Doctor was quick to retrieve his small wand-like device from the inside of his jacket pocket. Penny watched as he pointed it at the door and pressed the button. The device lit up a bright blue light on the end of the wand and noisily whirred in his hand. He stuffed it back into his pocket and opened the door.

"What is that thing anyway? Is it some kind of magical wand? Are you some sort of space wizard?" Penny teasingly asked as she walked past the threshold to the large metal dome building.

"It's my sonic screwdriver. It's a screwdriver that's sonic." He confidently answered, closing the tall doors behind them.

Penny was amazed by the inside of the building. It was lined with rich, dark wooden architecture. It reminded her of a giant cathedral. There was a large sky light that was the majority of the top portion of the building. They walked through an archway that had intricate carvings in the wood. The Doctor quickly began looking around the building and Penny watched him as he did so.

As he was searching around the building, Penny wandered off to admire other wood carvings she had noticed. She walked slowly toward an amazing wooden tapestry of a woman with vibrant blue hair and pastel green skin dancing in the tall green grass. As Penny stood in front of the tapestry in admiration of Felsponian art, the floor seemed to give way underneath her. Penny let out a terrified shriek as she fell below the floor of the cathedral. The floor quickly formed a roof over her head.

"Doctor!" She cried from underneath the floor. She quickly got to her feet and her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She realized that she was about ten feet underground. Small lights came on underfoot. They reminded her of the lights on the floor at the movies. Oh how she missed the movies right now.

"Penny!" The Doctor shouted from above her. His voice was muffled and he seemed very far away. Penny felt her eyes fill up with tears. This was how she was going to die, underground and all alone on some alien planet, maybe she should have gone on that date.

"Get me out of here!" She pleaded though her tears. They were hot and streamed down her face. Feeling scared was an understatement, she was absolutely terrified.

"Penny, I'm coming for you, just hold on and don't wander off." The Doctor said through the floor that she fell through. Penny's breath hitched in her throat as she tried to keep her cool.

"Doctor?" She shouted to him. Nothing. Just quiet and darkness surrounding her.

"Doctor?!" She desperately cried. After realizing that he was gone, she let out a frustrated huff and angrily wiped the tears off of her face. She wasn't about to let her life be in the hands of a man that she barely knew. The lights seemed to disappear further into the darkness. Penny slowly began to follow the lights on the ground. This was her life and she was going to find her own way out of this mess.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the late update. School is kicking my butt, one more year to go haha.****  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

Penny walked slowly through the underground corridors. Her breaths were shallow as she listened to her heart hammer in her ears and her footsteps echo in the corridor. She wished she had a flashlight, the lighting underfoot wasn't very bright, and the fact that she could only see four feet in front of her was unnerving.

Penny turned a corner and let her fingers trail along the wall on her right. The air was thick, like she was surrounded by a dense fog, but it was probably just her fear slowly suffocating her. She could feel every atom in her body buzzing and the blood rushing through her veins. It was almost as if her fear was heightening her other senses. It was more than fear. It was also a mixture of excitement and a longing to get off this planet as quickly as possible.

The sound of something being dropped behind her gave her a start. Her heart jumped into her throat and she fought off the paralyzing feeling fear often gives a person. Penny gasped as she whipped around, she quickly covered her mouth and her eyes darted across the darkness. Tears stung at the back of her eyes, she was certain that her mind was playing tricks on her and that she was just hearing things. Penny cleared her throat before calling out to the nothingness before her.

"He-hello?" She quietly started. She took an unsure step in the direction that she came from. Penny searched the darkness and saw nothing.

"Doctor? Is that you?" She breathed. A tear escaped her eyelashes and fell onto her cheek. She cautiously reached out into the stale air that heavily hung before her. She was taken by surprise when a pale hand struck out from the darkness and twisted its frail fingers around her wrist. Penny shrieked and the hand's owner came into view.

"Shhhhh!" She quickly warned with a frown decorating her delicate features. Penny felt nauseated, she was face to face with an alien! Not the Doctor, type alien, but a real extraterrestrial. Penny quickly swallowed at the bile that tickled at the back of her throat as she studied the person before her.

She was slightly shorter than Penny and her build was quite a bit slimmer. Her face was thin and her skin was a pale green color, almost like a soft mint. The woman's hair was a pale lavender color and hung heavily past her shoulders. She was made up of sharp angles and it seemed like her skin just barely covered her small body, her collarbone jutted out against her smooth skin. Her eyes were large and matched the color of her hair, her nose was small and turned up and her lips were full and pouty. She wore dirty rags that hung off her boney frame.

Penny glanced at her wrist and the woman was quick to let her go. Penny clutched her hand to her chest as she waited for the woman to speak. The woman looked around the cavern to ensure they were alone.

"If you aren't quiet, the Savior will hear you." She whispered. Penny quickly nodded.

"What are you and what are you doing here?" She questioned. Penny took in a deep breath and slowly let it out before speaking.

"I'm Penny, I'm traveling with a man and we came to see the mountains that sway in the breeze." She quickly explained. The woman eyed her suspiciously.

"You speak non-sense. There is nothing but perpetual darkness. Nothing but service for our Savior." She spat. Penny swallowed, she wasn't sure what to say. She wished that the Doctor was here to save her.

"I promise. That's why I'm here. The man I'm travelling with is called the Doctor. After we arrived on the surface, we found some sort of energy and we started looking for the people of this planet. The Felsponian. Something isn't right. There is an entire civilization that's just been abandoned. It's like they vanished or something." Penny rattled off. She was beginning to sound like him. How she missed his condescending tone right about now.

"My people know nothing of this surface you speak of. It's forbidden and to leave the safety of our Savior's paradise is the ultimate sin. The punishment is death. These Penny's, where do they come from? Your species, the Penny is nothing like anything I've seen before." She asked as she softly touched Penny's cheek. Penny softly smiled, trying to ease the tension between them.

"Sorry, no. My name is Penny. I'm a Human from the planet Earth." Penny explained.

"What is your name?" Penny asked. The woman narrowed her eyes at Penny.

"I am called 748. We do not have names, we are assigned a number at birth. The Felsponian race has lived in these caverns for the last century. We were shown the way by our Savior, he has kept us safe and protected." 748 said. She grasped Penny's wrist and began leading her further into the caverns. Penny followed her, in the hopes that she knew a way out of here.

"So you've been underground for your entire life?" Penny asked. 748 nodded. Penny recalled the picture in the cathedral of the vibrant Felsponian woman. This was nothing like she imagined they would be.

"And your Savior, you said that you serve him. How? Do you pray to him or something?" Penny asked. This sounded like one of those crazy cults she heard about sometimes on the news where people volunteered to drink the cyanide laced Kool-Aid.

"We provide him with sustenance. We give him our energy as a way of thanking him for saving our people." 748 explained. Penny felt chills run through her body. This definitely felt a little bit cultish. As they walked together, Penny began to feel uneasy.

"748, have you ever wondered what was above? I mean, is there a way up to the surface?" Penny asked. 748 stopped and turned to Penny.

"It is a sin, it is blasphemous to think that way. I have been told that it is hellfire and those that do go above are tormented for the rest of their days." 748 solemnly explained. Penny gripped her fragile shoulders.

"I have been up there and it is beautiful. It isn't hellfire or tormented sinners, it's a lost civilization. Haven't you ever thought about where your people came from before the last century?" Penny said, trying to sound comforting. It seemed like they have been brainwashed into staying underground. But for what? How many of them were there? So many questions filled her mind, she had to find the answers.

Tears filled 748's pale lavender eyes, they sparkled against what little light they did have underground. She fought against them though and she silently nodded to Penny's question. She looked pained, like she wanted to think freely, but she was so scared of finding out the truth. Penny vowed to herself that she would do everything in her power to save these people.

"How many of you live down here?" Penny asked. 748 wiped the tears away with the back of her hand and quickly brushed off her sadness for the time being.

"There are thousands of us. We all work to serve the Savior." She explained. Penny still felt confused. Where were they all?

"Can you show me?" She quickly asked. She needed to see the colony for herself. It might give her a better idea of how she can help these people. 748 nodded. The two girls headed further into the underground caves toward the dark civilization that was forced upon an entire species.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry everyone, I've been really busy with school. Luckily, I have this week (until Wednesday off) so that means I will have time to write.**

**Enjoy!**

As Penny and 748 ventured further into the deep dark cave, the conversation trailed off and the walk had been a silent one about three right turns ago. The caverns echoed with their faint footsteps, the dripping of water off of the ceiling, and a man's voice. 748 stopped dead in her tracks and Penny silently stood beside her. She held her breath, afraid that whatever was out there would be able to hear her. She could feel the blood rushing through her and her heart pounded in her chest. Penny watched as 748 scanned their dark surroundings, Penny tried to see what was out there, but her night vision wasn't nearly as good as she wanted it to be. She concentrated on the voice in the distance and it was almost like she could hear the Doctor yammering on about some sort of negative ion.

"Do you hear that?" Penny whispered. 748 silently nodded.

"Stay here." 748 cautioned. She took a few large steps forward and slinked around another corner. Penny was left in the dark with nothing but her thoughts. She couldn't help but wonder if he had come underground looking for her. Somewhere deep down, she wished he had. It would be nice to see a familiar face, even though she had just met him. Penny saw a faint blue light shining around the corner, it had to be him. She felt her heart swell and excited butterflies filled her stomach.

Penny quickly moved toward the light and peered around the corner. It was definitely the Doctor. He had his sonic screwdriver out and ready for action. Penny walked toward the two and their conversation became audible.

"What are you doing with all of these people?" The Doctor sternly asked. 748 hissed at the suggestion that she was in the wrong. She was in defense mode and it looked like she was about to attack.

"Doctor, Stop!" Penny shouted as she ran toward the two. The Doctor's eyes lit up and a look of relief took over his angular features. She quickly rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her tightly against him and she could feel both of his hearts beating against hers. She buried her face into his shoulder and breathed in his scent. He surprisingly smelled like lemons and laundry.

"748 isn't doing anything to her people, it's something else. Someone has taken these people hostage and I think they're using them like slaves." Penny rushed to explain as she reluctantly left the Doctor's warm embrace. Penny let out a breath that she was holding, 748 defensively crossed her arms across her chest, and the Doctor clasped his hands behind his back.

"I was going to show your friend our colony, Doctor." 748 explained as she looked between the two of them.

"Well, let's go see then. Avanti!" The Doctor exclaimed as he pushed forward through the underground tunnels. The Doctor and 748 walked in unison about six strides in front of Penny. She didn't mind, it was nice to not be the only other person walking with 748. He was explaining where the word Avanti came from and he quickly moved on to explaining how the Italians didn't actually invent pasta.

As they walked, Penny began to feel cold, and a chill ran down her spine. It was like the darkness of the tunnels was replacing the warmth in her body. Her vision became blurry and a dark voice washed over her, piercing her soul. The pain was sharp and quick, it seared through her like hot molten lava and filled every part of her. It felt as if her lungs collapsed and she suddenly couldn't breathe. The coldness took over her body and she collapsed to her knees. She gripped at her temples, trying to rid her mind of the voice that wouldn't stop. The voice that would forever haunt her.

"What are you?" It kept imploring. It wouldn't stop. Penny shrieked, it was all she could do. The Doctor and 748 rushed to her side. He expertly pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned her body. Penny gripped 748's hand into her own. The Doctor quickly placed the screwdriver back into his pocket and placed his fingertips on Penny's temples. As quickly as it came, it was gone. Penny laid down on the floor, trying to catch her breath and fixated on the voice that couldn't figure her out.

She looked up at the Doctor who seemed to be rid of the voice in his head. It was like he took all of her pain and abolished it. Their eyes met and he looked concerned. Penny took in a few steady breaths as she stood back up on her feet. 748 gingerly placed her hand on Penny's back and the three of them continued toward the Felsponian colony.

"What was that?" Penny quietly asked. Her voice was raw. She avoided their concerned gazes.

"That was a species called the Loma. They are a type of telepathic shadow being that feeds off of energy. They were once great beings that lived on dying stars, but slowly they turned into parasites that feed off of the energy of others." The Doctor practically spat. His voice was full of distain. Penny looked down and watched the floor as she walked.

"That's what happened to you, 748. You're being used. You're people are just food for this thing." Penny said to the floor. She felt so naïve to think that someone couldn't possibly do that so someone else. Then she thought about her own people and silently chastised herself. There was bad things throughout all of space and time.

"Then we have to stop it." 748 said as they approached the epicenter of the underground community. There were hundreds of levels going further down into the ground with thousands of pale, drained Felsponians walking along the paths and through corridors. They were all feeding their energy into spherical objects on small pedestals that stood about hip height.

"I am going to save my people, and you are going to help me Doctor." 748 said. The Doctor and Penny looked at each other and silently agreed to help with a nod of their heads. If she only did one thing in her measly human life, Penny was going to save these people.


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy Family Day/President's Day everyone!**

**Enjoy!**

The trio worked their way down into the earth's crust, on each level they passed thousands of mindless Felsponian zombies. It seemed like it was too easy that they were going about on their mission, practically unnoticed. The faces that they passed were lifeless and pale.

It seemed that they only used their energy for one thing, feeding the parasite that locked them away underground for the last century or so. Penny watched as they willingly drained their lives away into the spherical orbs scattered about the caverns. It made her feel sick to her stomach.

"They don't even see us." Penny quietly noted. 748 nodded in agreement.

"They see us. They just can't be bothered to do anything about us. I stopped giving my energy to Him months ago. I've been living as an outcast, away from the colony. I just couldn't take it anymore, I've been trying to find a way to stop it. I didn't care if I was going to be damned for the rest of my life." 748 replied.

Penny reached out touched the arm of a little girl. She looked up at Penny with a vacant expression. Her pale yellow eyes were empty and hallow. Her grey skin hung off her like a second set of hand-me-down clothing. This sight set off a fiery rage inside of Penny. Tears boiled up to the surface, but she choked them back. She was going to go Nebraska all over the ass of whoever or whatever was doing this to these people.

"So Doctor Whackadoodle, what's the plan? We can't just go down there with that thing, guns a blazin'." Penny asked as they approached a tall door on the last floor of the caverns. The Doctor pursed his lips and folded his arms over his broad chest. It was hard to take him seriously with the graphic t-shirt that poked out from under his blazer.

"By calling me a Whackadoodle, are you insinuating that I am crazy? Because, I can assure you that I'm not, my mother had me tested." He said defensively.

"Also, we do not have any guns, nor will they be blazin'." The Doctor continued in a mocking tone. Penny rolled her green eyes at him.

"I wasn't saying you were crazy, but now that I know that we don't have any kind of weapons to defend ourselves, I am beginning to think you're _bat-crap_ crazy." Penny retorted. She watched as the Doctor tried to control a slight twitch that was taking over his left eye. She stifled a smile and pushed past him toward the door.

It was locked. Of course it was locked, what evil villain would place a welcome mat on the stoop of his lair in a deep, dank cavern? She impatiently cleared her throat and looked at the Doctor expectantly. Maybe his little screwdriver could open the door.

"It's wood." He simply stated.

"Very astute observation, genius. Can't you open it with your screwdriver thingy?" Penny impatiently asked.

"For your information, I am quite clever and no, my _sonic_ screwdriver doesn't work on wood." He snidely retorted. 748 rolled her eyes at the both of them.

"Would the two of you shut up? You fight like you were lovers. Move." She said to Penny, who was blushing, as she placed her hand on the doorknob. Penny watched as 748 deposited her energy into the doorknob, like the other Felsponians had done with the spheres. She slowly opened the door and pressed on inside. It was now or never. Penny felt sick to her stomach.

The Doctor walked toward the door and Penny quickly grasped his hand into hers. He looked into her face, searching her concerned expression. His hand was warm in hers and she felt a wave of comfort crash over her. She wished she could stay like this forever, stuck in his comforting grasp for eternity.

"Please tell me that you have a plan." She softly begged. The Doctor turned to her and grasped her other hand into his. He gently rubbed the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb. He tried his best to offer a reassuring smile.

"I need you to trust me, do exactly as I say, no questions asked. Can you do that?" He firmly asked. Penny swallowed hard and stared into his deep blue eyes. He was right, she had to trust him. She quickly nodded her head in agreement.

"I trust you." She replied. The Doctor softly smiled, squeezed her fingers, and dropped one of her hands. The two walked past the threshold of the tall wooden doors in the underground cavern together, hand in hand.

The room was large and cold. It seemed to be as tall as the caverns themselves. A skylight, like the one in the cathedral sat atop the ceiling of the room. In the center of the room was a ball of black mist taking in glowing golden energy as it fell from above. Penny continued to scan the room, her eyes landing on 748 who had collapsed onto the floor.

"No!" Penny screamed as she ran to her side. She quickly knelt down beside 748 and took her into her arms. Penny brushed the pale lavender hair out of her face and placed her fingertips onto her neck. She hoped that 748 still had a pulse. Penny felt a buzz of electricity underneath her pale skin instead of a heartbeat. She looked at the Doctor who gritted his teeth and fearlessly marched up to the shadow being.

"Loma!" The Doctor angrily shouted. "Let these people go." He demanded. Penny felt that familiar cold invade the room. The mist concentrated into a figure with tentacles, almost like an octopus or a squid.

"I am the Savior, Time Lord." The Savior hissed. Its voice was deep inside Penny's head. She felt 748 breathing in her arms and felt relieved, at least she was alive. 748's eyes fluttered open, they were vacant and hollow. She stared at Penny with a lifeless expression. The Savior completely drained 748 of her energy and left her to die alone on the floor. Penny propped 748 against the wall and stood behind the Doctor.

"Nothing can be done. Their lives are mine to consume." The Savior coldly continued. Without turning around, the Doctor addressed Penny.

"Get everyone outside as quick as you can and wait for me in the TARDIS." He said just above a whisper. The Savior laughed, his voice boomed deep inside Penny. She was sure he could taste the fear that prickled along her skin.

"I don't need them now that I have you, Time Lord. I can live forever, just on your energy alone." The Savior taunted. A misty tentacle whipped out and grasped him by the wrist. Penny watched in horror as the Loma began feeding off of the Doctor's energy.

"Doctor!" Penny shrieked. She quickly ran toward him as he fell to his knees.

"Get out! Get everyone out of here!" He bellowed at her. She watched as he cried out in agony. Conflicted, Penny quickly turned on her heel, leaving the two of them behind. What the hell was she going to do? How could she save everyone? How could she save the Doctor?


	7. Chapter 7

Every breath Penny took burned in her lungs. She could feel her muscles in her legs beginning to seize, they were metaphorically screaming at her to stop, begging her to rest, but she couldn't. It was up to her to save the day and the pressure of the situation felt like the weight of the world, crashing down upon her. Her sweaty palm clutched at her heaving chest as she ran past the zombified Felsponian people, trying to make up a plan as she moved further toward the planet's surface.

The Doctor's orders rang in her mind, but she was determined to get everyone out, including the Doctor. As she rounded the corner to the top of the underground city, it became clear that there was nothing she could do. She knew nothing about interstellar space and time travel. She was just a girl from Pasadena who was minding her own business until she got snatched up by a condescending Time Lord. Penny watched as the lifeless people wandered around aimlessly. Her lip quivered and her eyes welled up with tears, there was nothing she could do for them. They were going to die in these caves, just like her and just like the Doctor.

Hot, angry tears streamed down her face. Why her? Why did he choose her to take with him? Frustrated and desperate for a plan, Penny picked up the largest rock she could throw. The weight of it in her palm felt solid and comforting, it was like this rock was the only thing that was grounding her. She turned toward the the stained glass skylight and stared at it. The colours of the glass were so beautiful, she almost felt guilty for what she was about to do.

Penny gritted her teeth together, it felt for a moment like she was back on the farm in Nebraska, throwing rocks through the old barn's windows. She could almost smell the fresh air and the wind blowing through her long blonde hair. She imagined that her brother was by her side, egging her on. It was like he was there, daring her to do it. She let out a shaky breath and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. Penny gripped the rock tightly in her fist and hurled it toward the glass.

Shards of stained glass fell from the ceiling and the Felsponian sunlight spilled from the ceiling throughout the cavern. As the sun's warmth flooded the cold, dank underground, it began flooding the Felsponian people as well. Penny watched in amazement as the once lifeless species began bursting with energy. Their pale, sickly figures turned into glowing forces, begging to be reckoned with. Their once pastel hair burst into vibrant colours and their pale skin glowed. Penny felt her heart hammering in her chest, it was the first time since they had arrived that she had truly felt optimistic, she had a plan. It was time to go Nebraska on this Loma's ass.

Penny snapped into action, but as quickly as she moved to put her plan into motion, she was cut off by an impressive Felsponian. The woman stood a few inches taller than Penny, her skin was a glowing bronze colour, her deep ruby eyes sizzled with life, and her flaming red hair flowed around her. Penny was speechless, she wasn't sure what was about to happen. The woman brought her hand up and placed her cool palm against Penny's hot cheek and offered her a soft smile.

"Thank you." She whispered. A tear escaped the Felsponian woman, it sparkled like a diamond as it ran down her face. Penny sharply inhaled to keep her own tears from betraying her.

"Get everyone out, get everyone to their rightful place." Penny shakily replied. The woman nodded and the two parted ways. Penny still had to save the Doctor, whether he wanted to be saved or not.

Penny quickly sprinted toward the chamber at the bottom of the caverns. This time when her lungs burned, she welcomed it. The fire in her legs only made her want to run faster and harder. Her determination burned within her and there was nothing anyone could do to snuff out the flames that licked just beneath the surface of her skin.

It seemed to take no time to run back down to the bottom. Penny pushed past the doors and saw the Doctor collapsed on the floor. The Loma still fed off of his energy, it made her feel sick to her stomach. She licked at her dry lips and tried to shake off the feeling by pulling her adrenaline to the surface.

"Loma!" She shouted. She noticed that it stopped feeding. The corners of her lips quirked up into a satisfied smile. She deeply inhaled and took a few big steps toward it. She noticed that it lurked in the shadows, and it seemed as though it was hiding from the direct sunlight.

"Did you think that I was about to let you off the hook? Back in Nebraska, when we fish, we don't play the catch and release game. Do you know what we do to the fish we catch?" Penny asked as she picked up a large shard of glass. The Loma hissed at her.

"You are insignificant." It retorted. Penny smirked.

"When we catch fish in Nebraska, we gut them. Right there on the boat." She coldly stated as she stepped into the sunlight pouring in from the top of the cavern.

"It seems like you don't like the sunlight. Look at you, hiding over there in the darkness. What's the matter? Do you burn easily?" Penny sweetly asked. The shadow being flashed a glowing pair of red eyes at her. Normally, that probably would have sent her running like a little girl, but she had come too far to succumb to her fear.

"You are playing with forces beyond your ken, Human." The Loma jeered. Penny tightly gripped the glass in her hand and offered it a soft smile.

"Yeah, well your 'Ken' can kiss my Barbie." Penny smugly replied as she flipped the glass and used it to bounce the sunlight directly at the Loma. It shrieked and tried to move away, but Penny followed it with her steady stream of light. She watched without remorse as it burned in the energy that it once thrived on. It filled Penny with satisfaction to watch the Loma dissipate into ash. Penny let out a sigh of relief as she tossed the glass toward the floor and ran to the Doctor's side. Emotions spilled to the surface, she couldn't contain them any longer.

"Doctor…" Penny softly said as she knelt down beside him and ran her finger through his short brown hair. She let hot tears flood onto her cheek.

"Doctor, please wake up." She pleaded as she placed one hand on his chest and the other on his cheek. She faintly felt his heartbeats underneath her finger tips and his soft blue eyes fluttered open. He weakly smiled at her and her breath hitched in her throat.

"Penny, please." He started softly. Penny could barely contain her smile.

"I don't do well with maudlin displays of emotion." He finished, true to his condescending form. Penny smiled down at him and brushed her hand through his cropped hair one last time.

"Penny, do you remember in the TARDIS when you asked me what I was afraid of?" The Doctor asked. Penny nodded her head and offered a reassuring smile. How could she forget, he practically ignored her question.

"I'm afraid that one day someone will rescue me from my loneliness. I'm afraid that after all this time the one thing I have truly known will be ripped from my grasp and I will be some empty husk inside." The Doctor confessed as he tore his gaze away from hers. Penny coaxed his attention back to her. Her eyes darted across his face. She wouldn't let that happen. She moved her face closer to his, his breath was soft against her lips. Her body buzzed with excitement as she brushed her lips against his.

Penny suddenly felt a light tap, three times on her shoulder.

"Penny." 748 softly said behind her. She tried to ignore her, but the tapping continued.

"Penny." 748 said again.

Her eyes snapped open and she sucked in a lungful of air as she felt another set of taps on her shoulder. Her heart hammered in her chest and her focus darted to the left. There he was, Doctor Sheldon Cooper hovering over her with a bowl of something, probably cereal, in his hand.

"Penny." He quietly said as he finished his round of "knocks" on her shoulder. Penny fell back onto the soft brown leather sofa, dug the back of her head into the colourful sofa cushion, and let out a heavy sigh. She closed her eyes as she tried to hold onto her dream, but it quickly faded. Shit. Sheldon gave her another small nudge. Penny let out a soft breath and gently rubbed at her eyes with her palms. He attempted to re-start his tapping knock routine, but Penny quickly stopped him.

"Oh my God, Sheldon, what?!" She curtly said as her smoldering green eyes met his steely blue ones. Sheldon stood before her in his Saturday pajamas with his breakfast in hand. Her eyes darted toward the television, which was still playing the DVD selection screen of the second series of Doctor Who. Apparently they had finished off episode 4, ready to move onto episode 5. Her eyes quickly moved back to the impossible man standing in front of her.

"You're in my spot." He reminded her with a quick raise of his eyebrows. Penny huffed and sat up. She sat perched on the middle cushion and watched him as he settled down on the couch. He was the Doctor in her dream world who she was just about to make out with before he woke her up in her real world. Penny let out a sigh and wrapped the throw that normally rested on the back of the sofa tightly around her body. Sheldon set his bowl of Honey Puffs on the coffee table and turned his attention toward her.

"Penny, I just wanted to thank you for keeping me company last night. It's been slightly uncomfortable around here since Amy and Leonard have begun openly expressing their mutual… feelings toward one another." Sheldon confessed. Penny smiled in an attempt to smooth over the awkwardness of the situation. Penny broke up with Leonard because he was talking about babies and Amy broke up with Sheldon because it had been too long without any kind of intimacy, and it kind of just happened. Penny came over to get some of her stuff and Amy emerged from Leonard's bedroom, disheveled and wearing one of his button down shirts. This was just over a month ago.

"No problem Sweetie." Penny said as she reassured him by softly patting his knee. Sheldon cautiously watched her and smoothed out his pant leg when she was done touching him.

"Shall we continue from where we left off?" Sheldon asked. She knew he was talking about Doctor Who, but she couldn't help but think about her dream and how she had fallen for him in it. She had to admit, she had always been curious about Sheldon.

"I would very much like that." Penny replied as she leaned into him and pressed her lips against his. Sheldon stiffened under her, but didn't pull away. His lips were soft and his bottom lip fit perfectly against her top lip. Penny pulled away and her eyes searched his face. It was full of shock and uncertainty. Penny settled back in on the middle cushion and turned on the next episode of Doctor Who. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he poked at his cereal with his spoon.

"This cereal has lost all of its molecular integrity. It's now a bowl of Honey Puff paste." Sheldon quietly complained. Penny placed her hand on his thigh and gave him a gentle pat.

"It's okay, Doctor." Penny murmured. She carefully left her hand on his thigh, surprisingly he didn't ask her to remove her hand from his persons.

"That's Doctor Cooper to you." Sheldon retorted as he gently entwined his pinky finger with hers. Penny just smiled. Penny and the Doctor was something she thought she could have only in her dreams.


End file.
